Sunday SAMA Winners

On Sunday night, the first ceremony for the South African Music Awards took place.  Here are the winners from then:


Lifetime Achievement Award - Vusi Mahlasela and Ray Phiri


Best Engineer - Johan van der Colff for Zahara's album, Loliwe


Best Selling Full Track Download for the Year - Loliwe by Zahara


Best Selling True-Tone Download of the Year - Facebook by DJ Cleo


Best Selling Ring Back Tone of the Year - Facebook by DJ Cleo


Best Video of the Year - Ryan Peimar for The Parlotones, 'It's Magic'


Best Producer - Dan Roberts for Laurie Levine's 'Six Winters'


Remix of the Year - DJ Sbu's Lengoma ft Zahara


Best Live DVD - Simphiwe Dana's 'An Evening With Simphiwe Dana'


Most Played Song on South African Radio - Alone by Liquideep


Best Alternative Album - The Dirty Skirts for 'Lost In The Fall'


Best Collaboration - Zahara ft Georgy for Incwad’Encane


Best Kiddies Album - Wendy Oldfield for Singalong Kidz Volume 2


Best Classical & Instrumental Album - CH2 for Ping


Best Smooth Urban Music Album - Zahara for Loliwe


Best Contemporary Faith Music Album - The Plain Truth for We Are The Shining Ones

Shortlisted Nominees for SAMA's Record of the Year

The SAMAs will be taking place on the 29th and 30th of April.  The awards ceremony will be aired on SABC1 on Monday at 8:30pm.  The voting lines will be open until 9:30pm on Monday.  This is your last chance to vote.  So here is your shortlisted nominees...


B) Casanova - DJ Choice
H) Lengoma - DJ Sbu Feat. Zahara
K) Loliwe - Zahara
P) These Streets - Mi Casa
Q) Thinking About You - Theo Kgosinkwe Feat. Zonke


All you need to is to SMS the letter assigned to your favourite song to 083 123 SAMA (7262)

Some upcoming gigs in the Durban area

28th April - The Anti Retro Vinyls, Fruit and Veggies and the Carboot Vendors at LIVE at 8pm

29th April - Goldfish at Chris Saunders Park

30th April - Prime Circle at Barnyard Gateway

1st May - Prime Circle at Barnyard Gateway

2nd May - Catlike Thieves and Scoundrels at LIVE

3rd May - Dan Patlansky at Pumpkin Theatre, Ballito

4th May - Dan Patlansky at Pumpkin Theatre, Ballito

4th May - Catlike Thieves at Amsterdam

8th May - Gainsford at Zacks at 8 pm

9th May - Zarchia Zacheus at the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music

11th May - Catlike Thieves at Amsterdam

11th May - Me and Mr. Brown at Beach Bums, Tongaat

12th May - Goodluck and Pascal and Pearce at Suncoast

13th May - Johnny Clegg and Hot Water at Durban Botanic Gardens

18th May - Southern Gypsey Queen and Shadowclub at The Red Door, Pietermaritzburg

18th May - Young Guns showcase at The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music

19th May - Southern Gypsey Queen and Shadowclub at Live

25th May - The Ocean Doesn't Want Me and Strage at The Red Door, Pietermaritzburg

Presidential award for Johnny Clegg

Congratulations to Johnny Clegg who has been awarded the Order of Ikhamanga by President Zuma. He received the award for "his excellent contribution to and achievement in the field of bridging African traditional music with other music forms, promoting racial understanding among racially divided groups in South Africa under difficult apartheid conditions, working for a non-racial society and being an outstanding spokesperson for the release of political prisoners."  Well done for a richly deserved award!

Johnny Clegg will be playing at the Durban Botanic Gardens on 13th May. Don't miss it!

The Parlotones turn on the magic in Durban

The Parlotones at Durban Botanic Gardens today

Durban music fans turned up in their thousands to Durban Botanical Gardens this afternoon to see The Parlotones and support act Gangs of Ballet. Normally it rains when The Parlotones are in town but today it was perfect and they played an extended set until after the sun had gone down. Hundreds of fans gathered to meet the band in the darkness. The band played many of their hits but also included a number of new tracks from their new CD which will be out in early May.

The afternoon started off with local band Gangs of Ballet. The number of people walking around in 'Gangs of Ballet' T-shirts after their set proves how popular they are and they have a big future ahead of them.

Gangs of Ballet

The concerts at the Durban Botanical Gardens are proving more popular than ever. The organisation is great and having a big screen really adds to the experience. Those people who haven't been to a show recently should come and have a look. There are some really top acts lined up in the next few months. Johnny Clegg is up next on 13th May. See you there!

Upcoming shows on Skyroomlive.com

Skyroomlive is a initiative to change the way some gigs are viewed. The gigs are streamed live from Joburg to various places over the world. All streaming is free. This is a really good idea with good quality sound and video footage. This is highly recommended and here is a list of some of the upcoming shows...

My/Epic/Vice - 15th April 2012 at 7pm

HHP - 17th April 2012 at 7pm

CrashCarBurn - 22nd April 2012 at 7pm

Arno Carstens - 23rd April 2012 at 7pm

The Parlotones - 24th April 2012 at 7pm

Prime Circle - 25th April 2012 at 6:15pm with live streaming throughout the day, before the show.

Newtown Knife Gang - 26th April 2012 at 7pm

Jack Parow - 26th April 2012 at 9pm

aKING - 29th April 2012 at 7pm

Dan Patlansky - 30th April 2012 at 7pm

To watch one of these shows go to skyroomlive.com or use their Facebook App

Voting details for the SAMA's Record of the Year

The South African Music Awards are almost upon us, with the ceremony happening on the 29th and 30th of April. There is only one category that is open to public voting, which is Record of the Year. Record of the Year is the song that receives the most votes from the public. To vote SMS, with the letter assigned to your favourite artist, to 083 123 SAMA (7262) at standard SMS rates.


TRACKS
ARTIST
A) Amapansula Ajabulile - Kabelo Mabalane

B) Casanova - DJ Choice

C) Clap Your Hands - Zakes Bantwini FT. Xolani Sithole

D) Ex - Character

E) Facebook - DJ Cleo

F) Get Over It - Bucie

G) I Wanna Love You - Lulo Café (W/ Nothende)

H) Lengoma - DJ Sbu FT. Zahara

I) Lento - Professor FT. Speedy

J) Lighthouse - Elvis Blue

K) Loliwe - Zahara

L) Make It Easy - Lloyd Cele

M) Phakade - Lira

N) Settle For Less - Liquideep

O) Taking It Easy - Goodluck

P) These Streets - Mi Casa

Q) Thinking About You - Theo Kgosinkwe FT. Zonke

R) Turning In My Sleep - Prime Circle

S) World of Mine - Loyiso FT. Khuli Chana

T) You And I - Charlize Berg & Heinz Winckler

Young talent rocks Ballito

The Young Guns showcase took place at the Pumpkin Theatre in Ballito this afternoon. The event is designed to promote young musicians and bands in the Durban area. We spent some time there this afternoon and saw Trifecta, Jonathan Johansen, Toxic Candy and a few minutes of Hamish McCreedy.

Trifecta comprises of 3 young guys who play blues rock. They played some of their own material as well as covers of artists such as Gary Moore. Up next was 15 year old Jonathan Johansen who already has a number of music achievements to his name. He played covers of songs by artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Seal, Jesse Clegg and Cat Stevens. Last up with 5 piece band Toxic Candy. Featuring 3 girls and 2 guys this band really got the crowd going. They mainly played their own song with one or two covers thrown in.

All in all it was a great afternoon and credit must go to the organisers for taking steps to promote these young, talented artists. These showcase sessions are set to become a regular feature in Durban and we will keep your posted.

PARLOTONES, GANGS, BALLET…ALL IN ONE DAY…

The OLD MUTUAL MUSIC AT THE LAKE SERIES presents the SAMA-award winning and one of South Africa’s biggest bands , THE PARLOTONES at the Durban Botanic Gardens on the 15^th of April.

The Old Mutual Music at the Lake series is set to continue its brilliant 2012 line-up when THE PARLOTONES take to the stage on the 15^th of April for a mesmerising performance in the beautiful natural setting of the Botanic Gardens in Durban.

This performance takes place less than one month before THE PARLOTONES launch their fourth studio album, Journey Through the Shadows, on the 8^th of May, 2012. The new album was recorded in Johannesburg and Cape Town during the final months of 2011 and includes 12 brand new tracks of their undeniable romantic and anthemic rock sound, while offering several surprises along the way.

The album launch will be followed by another great adventure for one of South Africa’s biggest bands. Following a massive touring year in 2011 that trekked through America, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and their home country, THE PARLOTONES  are set to embark on  a 27-city tour of the United States. The tour kicks off in California on the 17^th of May. But before all of this, THE PARLOTONES are ready to see to it that their Durban-based fans have the time of their lives.

The undefinable GANGS OF BALLET will be starting off the festivities on the day. The Durban-based band is comprised of four talented musicians who have managed to combine their various individual tastes and styles to create a sound that is captivatingly fresh – the guys are set to blow the crowd away with their eclectic sound.

With a stellar line-up such as this, fans can expect a perfect day in the sun filled with awesome music and great times in the Gardens. “We are always excited to see artists of this calibre perform at the Durban Botanic Gardens and in doing so, contributing to sustained national biodiversity,” said Joy Khaole, Old Mutual’s head of sponsorships.  

The Old Mutual Music at the Lake series presents live concerts every month throughout the year at the Durban Botanic Gardens and all proceeds from the performances go towards an innovative people and plant development programme, the Garden Window Project, within the Durban Botanic Gardens. 

For more information about this and other events in the Durban Botanic Gardens, visit the website – www.durbanbotanicgardens.org.za or call the Info Centre 031 322 4021.

Tickets are available online at www.webtickets.co.za

Tickets prices:  R140 online, or at the gate for R150 on the day

Kids between 8-12 pay R50, kids under eight are free

Drinks, cooler boxes and picnic baskets are welcome

Gates open at 12:30 PM.

The first act starts playing at 14:30 PM.

Secure parking is available on the Juventus ground.  Entrance to all parking is off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road, adjacent to the Botanic Gardens and the Munies Hockey Field also off lower John Zikhale (Sydenham) Road.

The next act to grace the stage at the Old Mutual Music at the Lake series is the legendary Johnny Clegg on the 13^th of May.